


Chilly Days and Runaways

by Snellybutter



Category: Wreck-It Ralph (Movies)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-10
Updated: 2020-05-22
Packaged: 2021-01-26 14:43:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 17,461
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21375811
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Snellybutter/pseuds/Snellybutter
Summary: I can't write summaries either but here goes:Ralph's night was the usual- lonely, sad, and dark- until he finds something- or someone- who turns his whole world upside down.
Relationships: Tamora Calhoun/Fix-It Felix Jr.
Comments: 4
Kudos: 18





	1. A Chance Encounter

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! If you're here that means you're interested in my lil old story! So thank you, I'm happy to have you here!
> 
> This is my very first story, and I'm so excited to share it! I hope you love it as much as I do!
> 
> I hope you enjoy, and thank you for reading and reviewing!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! If you're here that means you're interested in my lil old story! So thank you, I'm happy to have you here!
> 
> This is getting transferred from Fanfiction, so I'll be uploading each chapter after editing it (it's been a bit since this was written, so think of it as a little refresh if you will)
> 
> This is my very first story, and I'm so excited to share it! I hope you love it as much as I do!
> 
> (A little note from the future- I guess this is a warning of sorts- this story does get pretty heavy, especially a bit later, so if you're not into mild angst you probably won't like this too much)
> 
> I hope you enjoy, and thank you for reading!

She was so tired.

It was the only thing the little girl could think about.

Maybe in retrospect her great escape should have been more thought out. She could've taken up little odd jobs, saved up money to get a bus ticket, or rationed food instead of just blindly roaming the very town _King_ lived in, where she could easily be found.

But she doubted he cared, or even noticed her absence. Eventually he'd realize it though, when nobody cooked or cleaned or did all of the chores of caring for a child that _he _was supposed to do. And then what would she do?

She didn't know.

It had been almost two days.

This was the longest she'd ever been gone.

It felt like the nine-year-old had been walking aimlessly around the city forever, kicking herself for being stupid and not thinking ahead. That wasn't like her, she was usually so strategic.

But she just couldn't take it anymore. She was _done_ being yelled at and talked down to. She was sick of being pushed around and called names by a grown man, someone who was _supposed_ to take care of her, to be her guardian, but in the end turned out to be like all the other foster parents before him.

So she just left, her few personal items fitting in her little backpack.

But that had been (almost) two whole days ago. Nearly thirty-six hours with barely any food and no sleep, and she didn't know how much longer she could take it.

Of course she had briefly considered going back, but then she realized nothing that could happen to her out here could be any worse than what would happen if she went back now. She wouldn't put it past him to do something drastic, he always threatened to. And no one would notice anything happening to a foster kid, they never had before. And even if they did, he wouldn't get in trouble. King never got in trouble, he was the craftiest person she knew.

So she continued on, there really weren't any other options. No money, no job, and no prospect for a job- nobody would hire a scruffy, homeless nine-year-old- nobody would hire a nine-year-old at all- she was pretty sure there were laws against that.

But maybe a nice family would come to the seedy side of town just looking for a homeless child to take home.

_No,_ she thought, scoffing to herself, _now you're just being stupid. That stuff only happens in movies._

This wasn't the first time she'd escaped, just the longest time she'd gone without returning or being caught. When she was younger, probably around five, her foster family at the time used to say after each escape (it happened a lot) that she'd come back when she got hungry.

And that's what'd happen every time. The little girl could be found gingerly standing on the porch, only gone for a few hours. But upon returning, she wouldn't find dinner waiting, instead she'd find a fist in her face, be yelled at and called names, and sent to bed hungry.

Looking back, she didn't really understand why she kept going back, but, she supposed, she was a little kid and didn't really know any better. She still didn't really know what to do.

I shouldn't _have_ to know what to do, this shouldn't happen. It's wasn't fair.

Caught up in her reminiscing, she didn't realize how dark and cold it had become until she started to shiver. All she had on was an old hoodie and ripped jeans. And nowhere to go on this chilly night.

Her hope was fading fast, her grandiose visions of life outside of King's domain all but gone. She was hungry, thirsty, tired, and now cold, and she didn't know how much longer she'd last before either getting caught or trudging back in desperation. Her hazel eyes started to fill with angry tears.

"This is not how it was supposed to be," she whispered to herself, not indulging the tears.

Crying wouldn't accomplish anything except show that she was weak and had given up. And weakness was not something she could afford to show. Vulnerability only got you hurt.

After blinking the tears away, though, she found that her vision was not clear, but was still blurred, only now by black spots.

_That's weird,_ she thought blearily as she started to become dizzy. For a brief moment the child was seized by panic, right before everything went black.

* * *

_Wow, it got cold fast,_ the large man mused absently in an attempt to distract himself from the darker thoughts clouding his mind.

Today had been rough, just like nearly every day for as long as he could remember.

He was so sick of being treated like he was a bad guy.

After being treated with disdain and contempt for so long, he was beginning to believe that he really was just a terrible person.

Things wouldn't be half as bad if he had something, or _someone_ to go home to. A pet, a partner, a family maybe. But no, all the animals at the shelter cowered from him, he couldn't even get a woman to look at him, and children especially were terrified by him. Thus, all Ralph had to go home to was a dark, cold apartment in the sketchy part of town.

Looking like a thug (which wasn't even his fault), and roaming the sketchiest area of the city made people wary. He couldn't stand the looks he got, people always glanced at him from the corner of their eye like they thought he was going to mug them or something. In reality the hulking man didn't have a mean bone in his body, and was actually quite sensitive, which was why the glares and fearful gazes bothered him so much.

_If anyone cared to get to know me, they'd see that I'm so lonely I'd be more likely to kidnap somebody for company than hurt them, _he thought, trying to reassure himself that they were all wrong and that he was just misunderstood, something that got harder to do each day.

It didn't work tonight though. The harassment from his coworkers at his dead-end job and even the strangers on the street, the depressing feeling of coming home to an empty, sad house, and a general feeling of hopelessness weighed heavily on him.

As he turned down the alley he used as a shortcut to avoid the judgmental stares, distracted by his thoughts, he almost didn't notice his foot brush against something.

Stopping for a moment, he almost allowed himself to continue on his way, not wanting to be out in the cold longer than he had to be. But something made him turn back.

Maybe it was the low whimper that came from the thing he had almost stepped on. The trash that usually filled the alley definitely didn't make sounds like that, or any sound for that matter. He turned around, and as he moved closer to whatever it was, it made another sound, and for a fleeting second it seemed as if it were trying to say something.

He gave the smallest chuckle. "You've finally lost it, Ralph," he whispered to himself.

That couldn't possibly be a person. It was probably just an- animal. Yeah, just an animal.

But then it made another noise that set alarm bells off. Animals didn't _hiccup,_ did they?

His stomach started to twist. This _was_ a person! It had to be! But then he got a horrible thought- it couldn't be a..._child,_ could it?

He stepped closer, speaking in as quiet a voice as he could in case the thing, no, _person,_ was lucid enough to know he was there. As he knelt down, he took his phone's flashlight out (it was basically the only thing on the phone he knew how to use) and shone it on them.

Blinking hard at the bright light and letting out a pained whine, a pair of wide hazel eyes slowly met his own.

It was a child, a little girl. She had black hair tied into a very messy ponytail with lots of different barrettes strewn throughout it, a ratty hoodie and equally dirty and ripped pants, and she looked pitiful. He didn't realize how long he'd sat there with the light focused on her, so many questions racing through his mind, but he was startled out of his stupor when she made another sound of pain, and he found her still staring at him, confusion on her face, and deep in her eyes a feeling he was all too used to seeing directed at him- fear.

_Of course, dummy, _he berated himself, _adults are scared of you, why wouldn't a kid be? Especially in this kind of circumstance._

He realized how weird this all must look.

"U-uhm," he stammered.

He had no idea what to do. What were you supposed to do with a random child you found in an alley? Was she lost? Did she have a home- a family? He had no idea, and he didn't even know where to start. Ralph wasn't an expert, but it was incredibly obvious that if this kid did have a home, it wasn't a good one. He could sympathize. He was about to ask her where her family was, or if she had one, but she spoke first.

"P-please don't tell K-k-king," she stuttered in a weak voice.

She hated how small she sounded, but found she just couldn't muster the energy right now. Plus, he'd found her blacked out in an alley, so she figured she didn't have much pride left to preserve at this point.

"Wha- who's King?" he asked, his brow furrowing and his worry increasing by the second.

The girl took a closer look at this stranger, and saw something in his eyes she hadn't seen in a long, long time- concern. This man was concerned about _her,_ a random runaway kid he'd found in an alley.

_"Who's King?"_ he questioned again, more urgently.

"H-he didn't send you to find me?"

Now she was really confused. King had thugs just like this guy, they were always hanging around the house. What for, she didn't know, but it couldn't be good. She was sure she was done for.

"Kid, you're freaking me out. Who're you talking about? Are you lost? Where's your family?"

He was asking too many questions, and she could feel the beginning on a headache start to throb at her temples. She moved her hand to her forehead and the man finally seemed to realize he was overwhelming her, backing off.

"Oh- sorry," he said sheepishly.

"I-it's not important who I'm talking about, n-no I'm not lost, a-and no, I don't have a family," she said, scowling up at the man, answering all of his questions at once.

Having the answers did nothing to alleviate his worries, however. Instead, they caused the knot in his stomach to twist itself tighter.

_She doesn't have a family._ How could she not have a family? Or a home? Where was he supposed to take her?

The cold was biting tonight, even to Ralph, who generally liked cooler weather. She couldn't stay out here alone, who knew what could happen to her? Plus, she certainly wasn't well, why else would she have been in an alley? He didn't know the last time she'd eaten or slept or anything either. There had to be someone responsible for her- right? Was _King_ her guardian? Was he-whoever he was- looking for her? Why didn't she want to be returned?

If he took her home with him Ralph could be accused of kidnapping, or worse, and he already had a bad reputation as it was. But then again, whoever let her get to this point probably wasn't a very good person anyway. He tried not to judge people like that, but with the state this kid was it was hard not to judge. His decision was made.

He looked back at the little girl resolutely.

"Well then, I guess you'll be coming home with me tonight."

She looked at him with impossibly wide eyes. "W-what?! What're you-?"

"You heard me, you're coming home with me."

"No, I couldn't do that to you-" she protested.

"Oh yes you could, and you _will._ It's way too cold for you to spend the night out here, not to mention dangerous. Besides, when was the last time you had a meal or a good night's sleep?"

When she didn't answer, he felt an odd protectiveness over this strange kid, and he scooped her up, earning a surprised yelp from the girl. She winced at the rapid movement and the pain that intensified because of it and tried her best to glare at him, but failed.

But he got the point. He smiled sheepishly before becoming serious again.

"Look, I'm sorry kid, but I can't just leave you here." he was so stern and resolute that she just stared at him for a moment in surprise. She didn't argue further, not really having the energy or desire to for once, and they continued his walk home.

The dark urban environment was the same eerie quiet Ralph was used to as he walked on, except this time it was different. This time he wasn't alone.

_This has been the most interesting night I've had in a long time,_ he mused, before refocusing his attention on the little girl, who'd begun to shift in his arms.

"You're- you're shivering," he said simply as he stopped in his tracks.

"No k-kidding, what an a-astute obs-servation. Y-ya wanna m-medal for figuring that one out?"

He ignored the little quip, gently setting her down on the sidewalk. She looked up hesitantly, immediately starting to scold herself.

_Look what you did, genius- you messed things up with your big mouth just like you always do. You never know when to shut up, do ya?_

"I-I'm sorry, I didn't-" she started to apologize before giving the tiniest, almost imperceptible flinch as he lifted his arm to get it out of his jacket sleeve. This gesture might've gone unnoticed by someone else, but Ralph, who was starting to see himself in this little kid, saw it clearly. He knelt down to her level.

"Hey kid, look, I was just taking my jacket off, see?"

"B-but, it's cold! Why would you-"

She was cut off, her question immediately answered before she could ask it as he wrapped the huge article around her tiny frame, picking her back up.

"But-" she tried to protest, realizing she didn't know this benevolent stranger's name.

Knowing the question on her tongue, he answered, "Ralph."

"But- Ralph! You can't give me this! What about you?!" he smiled. Someone was actually worried about him, that was a first.

"I'll be fine, kid. We're not far from my house."

She didn't look convinced. He felt her shift again, and was about to ask what she was doing now when he had the same dilemma his little companion had just a moment before.

"Hey...what's your name, kid?"

She hummed in response, too occupied with whatever she was doing to answer. He was starting to become impatient when her intentions became clear. She spread the edges of the jacket over his shoulders, her attempt to keep both of them warm. He smiled, but she just stared back for a moment before replying.

"Vanellope. My name is Vanellope."

The forbidden name, the nickname King hated more than anything, it felt so good to use it. At home (if you could call it that), the simple utterance of this name would send the man into an almost comical rage. She would laugh as discreetly as she could as he shouted her real name over and over and over with his terrible lisp. She almost laughed at the thought.

"I'm sorry, what?" Ralph asked incredulously, taking her out of her thoughts.

"That's my name, or at least it is as far as you know," she said cryptically, and before he could say anything in response, the tiny girl disappeared in the huge hood of the jacket.

_That's-that's not a name,_ he thought.

Now Ralph was more confused than ever. His night had changed in the blink of an eye from a normal, lonely night into an ordeal that resulted in his taking in a sassy runaway using an alias. Life was weird that way, he guessed. It honestly beat just going home and continuing his midlife crisis.

He was about to ask her more, but then felt her instinctively curl up on his chest with a tiny sound he assumed was a yawn, and decided to leave her be, the tiniest smile on his face. Answers could wait, even though the questions burned in his mind.

Upon getting home, he found "Vanellope" fast asleep in his jacket hood.


	2. So...What Now?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, here it is, Chapter 2!
> 
> This chapter is way shorter than the last one, and it's a lot slower paced, but don't worry the story really starts next chapter.
> 
> I can't put my finger on why exactly, but I'm not quite as pleased with how this one came out. I never really planned on writing any more chapters for this honestly, so it's a little shaky. Please bear with me!
> 
> Thanks for reading, hope you enjoy!

Ralph honestly had not thought this through.

Of course the decision itself was simple- the little girl couldn't possibly spend the night by herself outside in the cold. But upon getting home and discovering his tiny companion fast asleep, it dawned on him that he had no idea what to do with her from this point forward.

He had a one bedroom apartment, and while he did have a couch, it wasn't a sofa bed, or particularly big, and it probably wouldn't be very comfortable to sleep on.

But no matter where he ended up putting her, _how_ to get her there would be another matter. "Vanellope," which definitely wasn't the child's name, he'd decided, was already asleep, so he'd have to be careful not to jostle her too much and wake her up- and that would be no easy task for the giant, clumsy man.

"Ugh," he groaned, running his free hand down his face frustratedly.

He hadn't realized how exhausted he was, how taxing this hectic night had really been until now, when he was standing still trying to concentrate. Taxing for both of them, he noted with the slightest smirk as the child in his arms let out a small snore.

_Ok,_ he thought, _t__he sooner I figure all this out, the sooner I can get to bed._

Luckily, the next day was a Saturday, so he didn't have work and could get the answers to all the questions burning in his mind then. And also sleep in, he noted with a yawn.

After he spent what in his opinion was a ridiculous amount of time thinking about a simple problem, exasperated by his fatigue, he decided it'd be easiest to let Vanellope have his bed, and he'd sleep on the couch. He would have been fine letting her stay with him, she was pretty tiny and wouldn't even take up half the bed, but he wasn't sure how she'd feel about it, and he didn't want to make her uncomfortable so he'd just let her sleep there for tonight.

He walked down the familiar hallway with different eyes. For once he wasn't alone, and though he didn't know what the next days would bring, right now he was actually feeling pretty content. He could never have envisioned himself in this scenario- willingly relegating himself to the couch while this child-virtually a stranger using a fake name, slept in his bed, but here they were.

Reaching the bedroom he laid the little girl down as gently as he could. She stirred slightly, but settled after a moment, instinctively sticking her thumb in her mouth. He let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding and draped the comforter over her before taking his pillow, a blanket, and a change of clothes back out to the living room. He turned the light off, leaving the bedroom door open a crack, then set to making his own bed for the night.

"Maybe I should invest in a sofa bed," he mumbled absentmindedly as he spread the blanket over the definitely-too-small-for-him couch. He never had guests, so he'd never considered it before. But he didn't know how long this kid would be with him. Someone would probably find Vanellope, or whatever her name was, and take her home soon. Then he'd be alone again. No, Ralph decided dejectedly, he didn't need a sofa bed.

But _was_ anyone looking for her? What about "King?" Was he looking for her, or making his thugs do it? Who even was he? What would he do if/when he found her?

All of these questions were frustrating, but there would be time to figure everything out tomorrow, he reasoned.

He yawned, reclining on the couch and switching on the TV.

* * *

Ralph was awoken by a small tug on his shirt.

The half-asleep man's first instinct was to swat at whatever was bothering him with his large hand. But when that something yelped in response, he realized that he wasn't dealing with a _s__omething_, but rather, with a _someone_. Groggily sitting up he turned the lamp on and looked beside him, his eyes landing on his little house guest. He next looked at the clock and stifled a groan.

_2:36_.

"H-hey kid, what's the matter? Why aren't you in bed?" he asked, slightly irritated.

Vanellope hesitated for a moment, noticing his tone, before saying, "It's not important, I just couldn't sleep. Why'd you give up your bed for me?"

Her quick change of subject was not lost on him, and he got the sense that something was wrong, but he wasn't going to force it out if she didn't want to talk about it. Also she had been fast asleep the last time he'd seen her, so that was a pretty blatant lie. But he let it slide, instead answering her question.

"Well I gave you my bed because I thought it'd be more comfortable for you than the couch, so I just came out here. It's fine, really."

She stared for a moment at the benevolent stranger who had taken her in. This was the first time anybody had _ever_ put her comfort before their own. She honestly didn't know how she felt about it at first. Then the all too familiar feeling of guilt started to creep in. Vanellope examined the floor intently.

Ralph's heart ached as he looked at her.

This was all too familiar. How bad must things be for her not to know what to do when empathy was shown towards her?

"I-I'm sorry," she stuttered before turning around, looking for something.

"Aw, it's ok kid- hey, where're you going?" he looked at her quizzically.

"I'm getting my things, I-"

"Kid, what're you talking about? You're not going anywhere." Ralph said in the same stern voice he'd used earlier, making the girl pause.

She looked back at him, bag in hand.

"Y-you mean, you _want_ me to stay? But why?"

_Ouch._

"Of course I want you to stay, it's way too cold out there for you. Plus it's dangerous. I don't know if you've noticed, but this isn't the nicest part of town. And you're exhausted. C'mon kid, let's get you back to bed."

She didn't argue. Even if she wanted to, the little girl really _couldn't _argue. He was right, she _was _exhausted, completely, and the circles under her eyes would attest to that. There was just one thing.

"Ok," she agreed, "But what about you Ralph? You'll sleep in your bed right?"

"Well of course, but are you sure you want to stay on the couch? There's plenty of room."

"Yeah, it's fine. I mean, it is _your_ bed after all."

"Alright kid, as long as you're sure," he shrugged, though he still looked doubtful.

But she wasn't sure.

Vanellope had two options, and she had to make her choice quick. She could let Ralph sleep in his own bed and spend the rest of the night on the couch, where she knew she wouldn't get any sleep, despite how tired she was. Or, she could stay with the only person who'd ever shown concern over her comfort and _finally_ get a restful night's sleep for the first time in years.

It was the easiest decision she'd ever made. The little girl ran up to Ralph as he started down the hallway, practically leaping into his arms when he turned around, and he smiled knowingly as he led them both back to the bedroom, getting a weird feeling of déjà vu as he did so.

A moment later he sighed, gently settling the little girl on the bed before plopping down on it himself. He laid down, and she tentatively drew a little closer.

"C'mere," he held his arm out and she gratefully scooted all the way over, subconsciously snuggling into his chest and letting out a contented sigh.

She didn't think she'd ever been so comfortable in her life, especially with a complete stranger. Ralph actually _cared _for her, more in the incredibly short time he'd known her than anyone in her whole life. For once she felt safe, protected by this gentle giant, his rhythmic heartbeat thumping steadily in her ears. And within what seemed like seconds, Vanellope finally surrendered to sleep.

As he looked up at the reflection of the street lights on the ceiling, he could feel the tiny girl's breathing even out, and could hear the occasional little snore, and knew she was alright. _Now_ he could get some sleep, and even though he didn't know what the future held, or even what tomorrow would bring, he knew that they would be ok.

* * *

The gray light of early morning shone in through the bedroom curtains, illuminating the large man and tiny girl nestled snug in the huge bed.

One could never find two people more different from each other. But they were so happy in this moment that it was as if nothing else existed in the world, their problems all but disappearing. Among their nest of blankets, the man's arm was wrapped protectively around the girl's small frame, almost cradling her. The tiny girl was laying on his chest, one of her little hands holding onto one of his huge fingers. They were so comfortable with each other it was as if they'd known one another forever.

They had many things to burden their minds when they awoke, many questions that needed answering, but for now they enjoyed the serenity that only peaceful, much-needed rest brought.


	3. Fire Alarms and Tough Questions

The bright light of late morning found the two still peacefully asleep.

However, that wouldn't last much longer. Soon the sunlight streaming through the crack in the curtains would aim itself right at the little girl's eye, stirring her from deep sleep.

Vanellope reluctantly cracked open one eye, surveying the unfamiliar surroundings with vague confusion for a moment before recalling the hectic events of the previous night. Looking at the clock she was surprised, she didn't think she'd ever slept this late before. Too many chores to do. And it was kinda hard to sleep with someone yelling at you. For once she actually felt rested and took her time gathering her groggy thoughts.

A few moments later the little girl yawned and sat up, a quiet giggle escaping her as the man next to her snored loudly.

But then, in the moment of silence between his snores, she heard another sound, almost as loud.

It was her own stomach.

Oh yeah, she'd forgotten how starving she was. So, with another glance at the still fast asleep Ralph, she realized that as usual, if she wanted to get anything done she'd have to do it herself.

Deciding on something simple for this lazy day, she got her ingredients out, and upon discovering with immeasurable disappointment that Ralph had no bacon, added it to the odd little shopping list stuck haphazardly on the fridge. She absently noted with a tiny smirk how harshly her neat cursive contrasted with the man's nearly illegible scrawl.

Everything was going well (after all it is hard to mess up eggs and toast), when Vanellope got distracted by the TV, which Ralph had forgotten to turn off last night. She was never allowed to watch TV, and King only used it to watch the boring old news channel, which made the girl wonder why he had a TV at all if he wasn't going to watch anything good on it. Her curiosity getting the better of her, she started switching through the channels, not really knowing what she wanted to watch, but finding that looking was half the fun.

Her fun was interrupted though, by the piercing blare of the smoke alarm.

Startled, she turned back, only to find she had burnt the eggs into an unrecognizable lump of smoking ash. She tried to wave the smoke away, but the stupid thing still wouldn't shut up!

She covered her ears and glared up at the alarm as if her venomous scowl alone could silence it.

Ralph was awoken by the screeching of a smoke alarm.

Understandably, he started to panic, and when he also noticed Vanellope wasn't nearby, his worry grew a hundredfold.

Rushing down the short hallway and into the living room, he turned in the direction the smoke was coming from and sighed deeply, letting out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding.

He would've laughed at the sight before him if he wasn't still processing his alarm.

Vanellope was desperately fanning away a heavy cloud of smoke, which appeared to be coming from a pan on the stove, with a dishtowel, completely forgetting the toaster, which was beginning to smoke as well.

So, evidently she had tried to make breakfast.

He pinched the bridge of his nose before turning the toaster off, taking the pan off the stove, dumping the burnt contents into the trash (what even was it? Eggs?), and setting the pan in the sink with a clang that made the child startle as she finally realized he was there.

He opened a window, then waved his huge hand in front of the smoke alarm to get rid of the rest of the smoke hanging in the air, the other hand covering his mouth as he coughed, and when it finally stopped, he turned to his little guest, raising an eyebrow.

"I-I uh, I made breakfast," she smiled sheepishly.

"I can see that. Why didn't you get me up? I could've helped you."

"I can cook by myself, I cook every meal back at King's house," Vanellope crossed her arms, her eyes taking on a defiant glint. She didn't like being patronized.

But they softened a moment later, "I just- I guess I got distracted by the TV," she admitted with a shrug.

"I never get to watch it. King only ever watched stupid news shows on his, so I just- sorry," she said to the floor.

Ralph softened. She was just a kid being a kid.

"Ah, it's ok kid. How about I make breakfast and you can watch TV?" he offered.

"You can cook?" she eyed him incredulously, almost as if she actually couldn't believe that Ralph could commit to the simple act of cooking breakfast.

He rolled his eyes.

"I don't think you have anywhere to talk, Smoky," he said as he peered into the fridge.

She laughed before retorting, "Don't look too hard Major Body Odor, you're outta eggs. And bacon. And anything worth eating," she flopped over the couch melodramatically.

"And whose fault is that?" he growled.

"Yours! Were you banned from the store because your smell rotted all the food? This house is more empty than King's."

"Ok, kid," Ralph rolled his eyes.

"It's been so long since I've eaten I think I can feel my stomach trying to digest itself. I might just eat whatever's left of those eggs."

He chuckled, "Well if you're that hungry eat some toast, I at least saved that from being charred," he said, gesturing to the toaster and noticing for the first time the mess of jars and containers on the counter next to it.

"Jeez kid, what's this mess?" Ralph looked quizzically at the girl.

She shrugged. "I didn't know what you like on your toast, so I just took everything out."

"Kid, you just took out every condiment- I mean c'mon, who eats mayo on their toast for breakfast?"

"King." Vanellope deadpanned.

"Ugh- is he even human?" Ralph cringed.

"No."

"Oooo-k," Ralph said, turning around and returning to the fridge to assess their options.

As he looked through his scarce fridge, it occurred to him that maybe the kid wasn't being as dramatic as he'd initially thought. After all, he really didn't know when she'd last eaten. And he hadn't realized it because of the weirdness of the night before, but he hadn't had dinner either. And she was right, there really wasn't anything in the apartment aside from slightly burnt toast and weird condiments.

Ralph sighed. He really didn't feel like going shopping. The adrenaline from his alarming wake-up call was wearing off, and the exhaustion it left in its wake made him feel like he hadn't slept a wink. Plus he wasn't too keen on parading this kid around out in public either, for fear of an encounter with King or one of his thugs. But he couldn't just leave her while he went out either.

This was a bit of a dilemma.

Ralph started to ask the kid what she thought before realizing that she had disappeared. He whirled around. Where could she have gone in the short time he was distracted?! Another flash of panic went through him. Had she just left? He frantically went to the door only to find it locked, just as he had left it last night. Confused, he turned back around and headed for the bedroom, the only other place he figured she could be. The apartment was small, she couldn't possibly have gone far.

He sighed when his eyes landed on her tiny form moments later. She was ok. But what was she doing?

Ralph cut through the silence, "Kid, why'd you run off? You nearly gave me a heart attack! My second one today!"

Vanellope jumped the slightest bit. She had been so distracted by her task that she hadn't heard his heavy footsteps.

"Woah kid, sorry, didn't mean to startle ya there. But why're you making my bed? You know you don't have to do that right? I don't even do it half the time."

"Yeah, I can tell," she replied snarkily, "And ya didn't startle me, I just couldn't hear you comin' because the stench is so bad in here my ears went numb. Seriously, have you ever washed anything? Do you even know how to do laundry?" she asked as she folded an old blanket that'd been strewn at the foot of the bed.

"I mean, this one has to be the grossest old rag I've ever seen. It's just nasty. You should burn it."

Ralph rolled his eyes.

"Maybe I will," he smirked, "Maybe you could help me with that, since you're so good at setting things on fire."

Her eyes narrowed and she shot him the most threatening glare she could muster, to which he could only laugh.

An hour, a low profile trip to the convenience store (disappointingly disguise free, contrary to Vanellope's suggestion), and a heated debate about which donut flavor was the best later, the two found themselves back at the apartment, bantering back and forth as if they'd known each other forever while simultaneously obliterating the confections.

However, once Ralph had his first cup of coffee and his mind began to really wake up, all of the questions plaguing him from the night before came flooding back, and he quickly discovered his appetite had left.

Putting down his half eaten donut, he looked down at his hands.

What was he doing? What was he going to do? This was serious. Vanellope came from a bad home, he was sure of it. After all, a kid didn't just run away if things were fine. And he knew that her caregiver (if you could call him that) was into some sketchy business. Why else would he employ thugs? The fact that both of them had aliases didn't help to ease his worry either.

But he wasn't worried about the repercussions he could face as much as he was worried about what would happen to Vanellope if (when?) she was found.

He had no idea what to do or where to go from here, and he felt helpless. So many questions needed answering before he could even think about making a plan.

But he didn't want to bombard the little girl with questions and overwhelm her, he reasoned, this must be a scary situation for her. He had to be careful.

However Vanellope, ever the intuitive child, picked up on his change in demeanor quickly, and soon abandoned her own breakfast in favor of staring at him in concern, which he didn't notice until she spoke.

"Uh, Ralph...you doin' ok?" the little girl asked, slight worry in her eyes.

"Hm? Oh, sorry kid. Yeah, I'm just...thinking."

"Oh, that's alright. It's always hard doin' something for the first time," she smirked in an attempt to lighten the mood a little.

It didn't work though, as Ralph could only muster a half-hearted scowl before continuing to examine the table intently.

"Not the time kid. This," he gulped, "is really serious. I could get in some deep trouble if King or whatever his name is finds out about this. Who knows what kind of sketchy stuff he's up to, or what he'll do. I really don't know what to do. I don't know either of your actual names, or how I'm supposed to handle this, or if I even should do anything about it. But I don't want you to have to go back to a bad home and just run away again and- UGH," he grumbled, laying his head in his hands. He knew he shouldn't be venting to her.

So much for being careful.

But he didn't know what else to do. He was at a complete loss.

She felt guilty. It wasn't an unusual feeling for the kid, but it was always unwelcome. She sighed.

"Ok. My name, my real name is Va-" she was cut off by a long, loud car horn from somewhere outside, but somehow Ralph had heard her.

"Wow, that's a long name. Why do you go by Vanellope?"

She shrugged, "I don't really know. It's just been my nickname for as long as I can remember."

She liked to imagine her real parents gave her the nickname a long time ago, but she couldn't remember far back enough to know whether that was actually true.

But she thought this would be too sappy to tell Ralph.

"Ok, so what's King's real name? And why do you call him that?" Ralph was relieved that at the very least one of his questions was finally being answered. He was one step closer to figuring things out.

"Well, I uh, I actually don't know his real name. As for why he's called King, I don't know that either, other than because he acts like he rules the world," she rolled her eyes, "I've been with him for a while now and I've never heard anyone call him anything other than that. Maybe that is his real name. Or maybe nobody actually knows it," she said cryptically.

Oh boy this got better by the minute.

"Okay then," he started hesitantly, "so if nobody knows his actual name, how could he find you?"

"Oh, he has ways," she said disappointedly, "he always finds me," she rested her chin in her hands, eyes downcast.

"Wait- what? Always finds you? Kid, how many times have you run away?!"

"A couple times. I dunno, it's not like I keep track," Vanellope scowled.

Ralph realized that Vanellope became very snappy when she was uncomfortable, and immediately recognized the defense mechanism. He sighed.

"Alright kid, I know you don't want to talk about this, but I really need to know this stuff. Why did you run away? Is King-? Does he-?" he hated having to ask these questions, and he tried to word them as tactfully as possible, but he just couldn't seem to force them out. But he knew he didn't have to, he could tell the little girl understood what he was trying to say by her reaction.

Vanellope recoiled as if Ralph himself had hit her, drawing back from the questions. And was that a play of the the light or was she slightly more pale than she'd been just a moment ago? Ralph tried making eye contact, silently pleading for her to say something, but knowing she didn't need to. Not a single word needed to be said to get the point across. Her response was answer enough, but he wished so much that it could be different.

Things were becoming increasingly clearer to Ralph. He got a feeling she wasn't going to say much else, but he didn't need anything else. Besides, he could tell all her fight was gone, replaced by a vulnerability that the girl was unaccustomed to and ashamed to show. Vanellope started subconsciously rubbing at a particular spot on her arm, and when Ralph looked closer, he noticed a small, thin birthmark, running from her mid-forearm to her elbow. Or at least, he let himself think it was a birthmark.

Then surprisingly, she spoke, though her voice was flat and her eyes had darkened and she still wouldn't look at him.

"You're gonna rat me out, aren't you?"

"Rat you out? For what? You didn't do anything! If anything, I'm going to rat him out!"

But then she snapped her head up to stare at him, the darkness fading and complete panic taking its place in the little girl's eyes.

He realized instantly that he'd said the wrong thing.

What happened to not overwhelming her? he chastised himself.

"N-no! Don't d-do that!" the stutter came out, but she didn't care, "He'll find m-me! He'll find me a-and take me a-and-!" she didn't quite know what he'd do when he found her, but it definitely wouldn't be good. She started to pull at the wispy ends of her hair. Ralph immediately noticed the nervous tic, and a gut-wrenching guilt came over him. This was exactly what he hadn't wanted.

"Ok, ok kid, I won't tell," he placated, "But," he sighed, "But this is serious stuff. I could get in trouble, big trouble, and then I wouldn't be any good to you. I know you're scared, and if you don't want to tell I won't force you. But I can't guarantee you won't get sent right back to King unless you do something about this. You're the only one who can."

"But w-where will I go?! You're not a foster parent! They w-won't let me stay with y-you! They'll just s-send me back anyway, or send me to someone just as bad, o-or," she gulped, "worse! W-what if he finds me there, or t-they give me to him?!" she started taking deep breaths, trying to stop herself from hyperventilating.

Ok, that was enough. He'd started this, and now he had to finish it.

"Kid, Vanny, calm down. It's ok, it's gonna be ok," Ralph said as he stood up, his voice softening as he got down to her level and gently took her tiny hands, disentangling them from her long hair.

"We're gonna figure this out. I promise," he brought her close to his chest.

It was quiet for a minute as the two gathered themselves, the weight of their situation still looming over them even as they tried to push it to the back of their minds.

"I like that- Vanny. It sounds nice," Vanellope said with a small smile, breaking the silence.

It took Ralph a minute to realize what she was talking about before he said, "Oh. Really? I- uh- I didn't even notice I called you that. I'm glad you like it though," he smiled sheepishly, relieved to see her starting to act like herself again.

But their problem wasn't just going to go away, and it still plagued his mind, even as he tried to give the kid a reassuring smile.

And he and his big mouth had made a promise he wasn't sure he could keep.

It's gonna be ok.

But he didn't know that. How was he going to fix this? Was it even within his power to make sure things turned out alright? Of course she deserved a better life, but could he actually give that to her?

Then he remembered something Vanellope had said that gave him an idea.

He wasn't a foster parent, true.

But could he be?

Ralph seemed to have more questions now than when he'd started, and he hated having to put all of them on the back burner instead of just getting them out of the way. But he figured it'd be best to let both of them relax for a while before bringing things up again. It was still pretty early after all, they had the whole day to worry. Later he'd try to coax Vanny into going to the police station to figure this out, and maybe after thinking it over a little more he'd tell her his idea.

One thing was clear though. Today was going to be even more eventful than yesterday, and he needed to prepare. He poured himself another cup of coffee and plopped down on the sofa with the kid (his kid? Maybe soon.) to watch TV and forget about their problems for a little while.


	4. Take Care of Yourself, Miss von Schweetz

Ralph reluctantly pried himself off the couch with a stretch.

While ignoring their problems had been fun while it lasted, now it was time to face them head on.

He sighed, and Vanellope looked at him quizzically.

"Uhm, you're blockin' the TV there, Captain Couch Potato," she laughed nervously, already knowing what he was going to say.

"C'mon, kid. I know you don't wanna deal with all this, but it's gotta be done."

She pouted.

"Are you sure? I could stay! I'd be quiet, you'd never even know I was here. I'm like a ninja."

Despite the anxiety that'd been continually gnawing at him since this whole thing had begun, Ralph couldn't help but laugh at that.

"I'm sure you are- a ninja that sets people's kitchens on fire and eats all their food. And if it were up to me you could stay here as long as you want."

It might be up to him if he could figure out a way to make this plan work.

"What're you smirkin' at?"

"Huh? Oh- nothing," he dismissed her incredulous look.

"It's not up to you though," Vanellope said solemnly.

"That's why I'm worried."

After a bit of coaxing, and maybe the tiniest bribe with a promise to get ice cream when they got it over with, Ralph finally got Vanellope to give up her new dream of becoming a ninja, and the pair set out for the police station.

Both of them were more familiar with the place than they cared to admit though, and their nervousness was palpable.

Ralph was arguably the more nervous of the two. His reasons seemed petty, even to himself, when comparing it to Vanellope's much bigger problems, but nonetheless he found himself walking increasingly faster towards their destination. Though he hadn't realized he'd been doing this until a small, disgruntled voice grumbled at him from behind.

"Would you slow down, ya giant?!" Vanellope panted as she caught up to him.

"Oh, sorry kid," he said sheepishly.

"Why're you trying to get there so fast anyway? Go slow, maybe the police station'll be closed by the time we get there!" she said hopefully.

Ralph smiled sadly back at her, looking up at the sunny mid-afternoon sky.

"Uh, I don't think we could walk that slow, kid."

"Welp, I tried," she sighed.

They continued at a more leisurely pace, but Ralph found himself just wanting to speed up again. He debated on just scooping Vanellope up and running the rest of the way.

It didn't take long for her to pick up on his odd behavior.

And the strange way other people seemed to act toward Ralph as well.

It'd started when one guy looked up from his phone, only to pale when he noticed Ralph heading straight for him. He ducked into the nearest building, not noticing in his frazzled state that it was a women's hair salon. A gaggle of old ladies looked strangely at him, and Vanellope giggled to herself.

But soon she realized that every passersby was going to great, sometimes strange lengths to avoid even walking by Ralph. And when she noticed how sad Ralph's countenance became each time it happened, it made her mad.

Ralph hadn't done anything to any of those people. He didn't have a mean bone in his body! Sure, she hadn't known him for very long, but she sure knew him better than any of these clowns did! He'd been nothing but nice and kind to her.

When she noticed people begin to give her sympathetic looks however, as if she were trapped with him, that was the final straw.

Vanellope glared at them before reaching up and taking Ralph's finger in her small hand.

"Huh?"

The fierce scowl vanished as he looked down at her, replaced by a smile that instantly lifted his spirits.

He smiled back.

"Thanks, kid," Ralph whispered.

He wasn't sure she'd heard him at first, but knew she had as he received a tiny yet reassuring squeeze.

Eventually though, Ralph and Vanellope inevitably found themselves in front of the familiar building.

They just stood in front of the door for a minute, before sharing a nervous look.

"Ready kid?"

"Ready as I'll ever be."

A few minutes later the two found themselves sitting awkwardly in a little reception area in the corner.

Ralph took a deep breath as he tried to get his fidgeting under control.

Your twitching is not doing you any favors, he thought to himself, and it's definitely not helping Vanellope, he added with a worried glance at the little girl by his side, who was also understandably restless. They were practically joined at the hip, but she didn't seem to notice him watching her, too occupied with her own worries.

Finally, after what felt like forever being tortured by the silence and being alone with their thoughts, a kind but harried looking middle aged man approached the two.

He sighed.

"Hello again Vanellope."

"Hi Matt," she gave a small sad smile.

Ralph looked at the two in bewilderment.

"You...know each other? Kid, you've been here before?!"

The man, Matt, sighed again before formally introducing himself as Mr. Fletcher, shaking Ralph's hand before leading them into a neat little office.

Once they were seated, he explained things.

"Yes. I'm afraid Miss von Schweetz and I are quite familiar."

"Only social worker I've ever liked."

"Wh-? You've had multiple social workers?!"

"But only one that stuck around."

Mr. Fletcher sighed yet again.

This guy sure does sigh a lot, Ralph thought grumpily. Wish he'd use that breath to explain something.

"You didn't tell him, did you?"

"I told him a little."

"But you neglected to tell me you were on a first name basis with the social worker!" Ralph objected. They were talking like he wasn't even there!

Vanellope shrugged, fidgeting slightly under both men's gazes.

"I didn't think it mattered."

"It does!" Ralph yelped.

She looked at him confusedly, about to ask why he cared so much when she was probably never going to see him again after this, but as she opened her mouth, Matt piped up.

"He's right," he interrupted her, knowing she was going to protest.

"It does matter," the man looked ashamed, "You shouldn't even know what a social worker is, much less be seeing me as often as you do."

She tilted her head, confused.

"Vanellope, you know I've fought tooth and nail for you since you were three-years-old."

She nodded.

"But I can't-" he sighed, "I can't help but feel like I failed you. This whole system, all of us have failed you, over and over again."

She looked at her feet.

"It's time for me to do right by you. If I take you back to- him," he said, poorly veiled contempt dripping in his tone, "I know I'll be seeing you again. But this time is different. And you know why."

She nodded again, then looked at Ralph.

"I have someone with me," she answered, barely above a whisper.

Mr. Fletcher smiled, meeting eyes with Ralph while still talking to Vanellope.

"And that speaks volumes to me about how trustworthy he is."

"So you won't be going back to him this time."

"What?" she perked up, "What do you mean- w-where am I gonna go?"

"You're going to go home with Ralph, so long as he's alright with it."

Vanellope looked up at him again, hope alighting in her wide eyes.

"Wha-?" Ralph stuttered, "Well of course I want her to stay with me. But I thought there'd be, y'know, a little more...hassle about it."

"Well there would be normally, but I'm not letting this happen again. I couldn't live with myself if I knew I'd failed her again."

"And Vanellope is a good judge of character," Matt said simply. "Call me silly, but I trust her reasoning more than I do most adults. She's never been wrong- unlike them. And she likes you. She trusts you. In fact I've never seen her trust anyone this much. Am I right Vanellope?"

She nodded eagerly.

"So I trust you too."

Ralph blushed slightly, looking back to the kid, who smiled hopefully. He'd never been trusted before.

The little girl looked sadly at the social worker before getting up suddenly, surprising the man as she wrapped her arms around his waist.

Matt smiled genuinely as he returned the sweet gesture.

Ralph grinned at the two, too excited to keep his plan to himself any longer.

"But- what about in the long term?" he asked, making them look up at him, "She won't be able to stay with me forever since I'm not a foster parent, right?"

Wait no, that came out totally wrong! Ralph's heart sank. He'd made it sound like he didn't want her! Why couldn't he do anything right?!

The others clearly caught his odd wording, mistaking the question. Vanellope's smile vanished instantly and Mr. Fletcher looked at him quizzically.

"Um, that's right, we will have to find her another foster home eventually," he answered, disappointment clear in his tone.

Vanellope's mouth began to quiver ever so slightly, and she bit her lip to try to stop it. Of course it was too good to be true! She had to keep reminding herself that happy endings like that only happened in movies. She had gotten her hopes up too fast.

Ralph pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Jeez, I ruined it! That wasn't what I meant to say at all!" he ran a hand down his face, exasperated.

"I meant to ask if I could become Vanellope's foster parent! I know there's probably qualifications to meet and stuff, but I'm willing to-" he started, before he was cut off by Vanellope as she threw herself at him, knocking the wind out of him. He paused for a moment, stunned, before he smiled, placing a supportive hand on the kid's back. But if he ever claimed to feel the tiniest wet spot start to form on his shoulder, she would deny it vehemently.

Matt smiled at the scene.

"Yes, there are qualifications. There are forms to fill out, courses to take, and we'll have to deal with him eventually," he said, making Vanellope look up from Ralph's shoulder, both giving him nervous looks. The man waved his hand dismissively, looking reassuringly at the kid. "But I don't think that'll be any trouble at all. Would you like the forms now?" he asked, already reaching into his desk drawer.

He received an enthusiastic yes in response from the man and the little girl, who was now perched on his shoulder like a parrot. It was strange, but it felt so natural, like she was meant to be there, and both found they couldn't stop smiling.

After getting Ralph the forms, Mr. Fletcher walked the pair outside. It was early evening by then, and starting to get colder.

"Bye Matt," Vanellope hugged the man's legs.

"Thanks. For everything."

"Aw, you're very welcome," he smiled, kneeling to her level, "I only wish I could've done more for you."

"You did what you could," she said, sounding much wiser than her nine years.

She was only nine, Ralph had to remind himself. Not even half his age and she was miles braver than he could ever hope to be. Maybe she was his hero.

As they pulled away from each other, Matt laughed.

"Now don't take this the wrong way," he told her as he stood back up, "but I never want to see you here again."

"I never wanna be here again," she laughed, before tacking on a sheepish, "no offense," at the end.

"None taken, kiddo," he ruffled her hair slightly.

She turned back to Ralph, the smile on her face lighting up, wrapping her tiny hand around his finger again. He'd never known such a simple gesture could make his heart swell with so much warmth he was sure it'd burst any minute.

They waved goodbye to the man, and he waved back.

"Take care of yourself, Miss von Schweetz," Matt murmured as he watched them go.

The pair walked in relative quiet for a while.

But just before they passed the little ice cream shop Vanellope piped up excitedly, reminding Ralph of his promise.

Though it was already chilly out, and the little girl was once again wrapped in Ralph's huge jacket since she didn't have one of her own yet, they stopped in and decided to splurge a little to celebrate their new little family.

"Hey, maybe that's where you got your nickname," Ralph remarked a few minutes later, pointing his spoon at her vanilla milkshake.

"Maybe. And maybe your favorite's banana split because you're a big ol gorilla," she cackled.

"Is that any way to talk to your father, young lady?" he feigned offense.

She laughed again and Ralph rolled his eyes playfully, before they widened.

Her whole shake was gone. She'd had a full glass a minute ago! He looked at his own bowl, where half his dessert waited to be finished. For someone so tiny, she sure ate fast.

"Jeez kid, how did you not get brain freeze?"

"Maybe I'm just immune," she smirked, plucking the cherry from her otherwise empty glass, "D'you want this?" she held it out to him.

"Sure. Cherries are my favorite."

"Gee, I couldn't tell," she snorted, "You only inhaled all of yours before we even got to the table."

"They're the best part!" he argued, to which she laughed.

"Then why didn't you just get a cup full of cherries?" she asked.

"Because that would be weird!"

"Not any weirder than you already are!"

"Oh, you're one to talk! As I recall, it was you who almost set my kitchen on fire this morning!" he retorted, booping her nose with the whipped cream on his spoon and making her giggle.

Ralph grinned. It was nice to see Vanellope smile and be a kid after everything she'd been through over the past few days. More like the past few years, he corrected himself. He hadn't been this happy in years either.

After finishing her milkshake and taking it upon herself to "help" Ralph with his sundae, Vanellope declared herself full, and after he ate the rest they headed back to the apartment.

No, it wasn't just an apartment anymore. It was a home now. It'd never be lonely and quiet and drab ever again. Now it would always be filled with laughter and love and safety and messes and occasionally smoke.


	5. The Obligatory Nightmare Chapter

Wooo, we've finally made it to chapter 5!

A little note, this chapter takes place about a few days to a week after the events of last chapter. Ralph isn't officially Van's foster parent yet, but he already considers himself to be

I didn't realize until editing how short this one is compared to the others heh ;w;

Thanks for reading!

Ralph was awoken by a swift kick to his side.

He sat up with a grumble, a hand on his hip where he'd been struck. He looked around the dark room for a moment, dazed, before hearing an odd sound, like a high pitched whine.

He looked beside him at the culprit, none other than his soon-to-be foster daughter Vanellope. The tiny girl, who was normally a pretty quiet sleeper, seemed distressed tonight. Very distressed.

Her forehead and bangs were damp with sweat yet at the same time she was shivering violently. She whimpered and mewled loudly in her sleep, and at times it sounded like she was trying to speak, but he couldn't tell what she was trying to say through her sobs.

That was the part that worried him the most. Vanellope wasn't a crier. In all the time he'd known her (though he admittedly hadn't known her for all that long) she had only cried once, despite everything she'd been through. And even then she cried into his shoulder, and by the time she pulled away she'd composed herself. He'd never seen her indulge in her tears like this and actually openly sob. Of course, Ralph knew there was nothing wrong with crying, he was a pretty sensitive guy himself. But this wasn't like his kid at all.

Something was terribly wrong.

He was distracted from his thoughts as the little girl cried out again, choking out a string of gibberish he couldn't begin to understand no matter how hard he tried.

Ralph started to panic. It was very clear to him what was going on. His kid was having a nightmare.

Though this scenario was all too familiar for him, he found himself at a loss for what to do.

He had to wake her up, Ralph decided, but very carefully so he wouldn't frighten her any more.

He shook Vanellope's shoulder a little, but she recoiled at the contact.

Ralph winced as if she'd kicked him again. He wasn't doing this right, he was just wrecking things, as usual. But he couldn't give up, he couldn't let her stay like this.

He had to do something.

"Kid," he said, then louder, "Vanny, y'gotta wake up, please," he begged, hoping the nickname would help bring her back to reality.

But the poor girl only whimpered in response, too lost in her own mind to hear him.

"C'mon, you need to wake up Vanellope, it's just a dream," he pleaded.

Ralph had hoped this part would be easier, he'd always was known Vanellope to be a very light sleeper. The tiniest bump in the night was usually enough to rouse her.

It turned out he didn't have to wait long for her to come to though, because just a minute later, the nightmare apparently ended.

Vanellope shot up with a blood curdling shriek that made Ralph's stomach twist with painful familiarity. She started to tremble even more violently, and after a moment of looking around frantically at her surroundings, she focused her wide, fearful, watery eyes at her guardian.

Ouch. There was that now familiar but unwelcome pain in his chest, right on cue.

He was trying to quickly think of what to do next when the little girl threw herself at him, burying her face into his chest as she started to sob again, soaking his shirt instantly.

What was he supposed to do?!

Ralph wanted nothing more than to just take all of her hurt and fear away, but he didn't know how.

Despite his own experience with nightmares, he was completely lost as to what to do to help his own child. He'd never had anyone to comfort him, so he didn't know how to give comfort.

He was helpless and he hated it more than anything.

But he had to try. For Vanellope.

He went through a mental checklist of all the comforting things he knew to do, which wasn't very long since he was still getting the hang of this parenting thing. But nothing he tried seemed to calm the little girl, his little girl down. In fact, it seemed to him that he'd yet again only made things worse. By now she was practically in hysterics, the volume of her sobs had escalated to wails, and she was pulling her long hair so hard he was scared she'd hurt herself.

He was desperate. He had tried everything-talking soothingly to her, holding her close, stroking her hair, rubbing her back, even rocking, things that had made her feel better when she was upset before and others things he figured would've made him feel better as a child. But nothing helped.

Doubt started to creep in, the little voice in his head unable to miss an opportunity to berate him.

You want to be Vanellope's father but you can't even comfort her properly! Anyone else could do a better job than you. You don't deserve her, you'll just screw her up. She'll turn out just as messed up as you. She'd be better off with King than with you.

No.

That last statement struck a nerve, making Ralph's temper flare, and he became more determined than ever to prove the voice wrong.

King hurt Vanellope, hurt his little girl. He was probably the reason she had the nightmare in the first place. Ralph would die before he hurt his Vanny. He loved her more than anything.

That's not important now though, he shook his head. He couldn't afford to get distracted by his anger, it wouldn't do Vanellope any good. He continued racking his mind for what else he could possibly do to soothe her.

Then Ralph got an idea.

Well maybe it was more of a memory. A memory he thought he'd buried long ago.

When Ralph was little, before nightmares became a common occurrence, his mother used to sing a him a special lullaby. He hadn't heard it since she- well, suffice it to say it'd been a long, long time since he'd heard it. But he still remembered it verbatim, as if he'd heard it yesterday.

Ralph had a decent singing voice, in his humble opinion. But he was a bit rusty, though he didn't think that'd matter much to the distressed girl.

That is, if it even worked.

Guess we'll find out, he thought as he took a deep breath and started to sing.

An odd combination of emotions came over him in a wave. There were happy memories associated with the song, as well as sadness that his mother couldn't see him now, singing her song to his own child.

Vanellope almost immediately started to calm down on hearing the melody, looking up at her guardian wide-eyed. She had never heard Ralph sing before, and she was surprised and kind of impressed. His voice was gentle and soothing, much more so than one might expect given Ralph's tough exterior, and she found her tears slowing. She gradually stopped shaking and let go of her hair, her wails reduced to only the occasional hiccup. She let out a yawn, rubbing her still damp eyes, and Ralph smiled.

After a little while Vanellope's eyes began to feel heavy, and her guardian, no, her father wiped her remaining tears away, sweeping the stray bangs from her forehead. The corner of her mouth quirked in the smallest semblance of a smile as she let her eyes flutter closed, the song finally lulling her to a much calmer, gentler sleep in his protective arms. She was finally safe.

Once he was certain she was fully asleep, Ralph stopped singing and sighed.

He looked at the kid, his kid for a minute.

He really couldn't believe she was his kid. His shirt was damp with her tears, but he found he really didn't mind. She'd been through so much in her short life, she deserved a shoulder to cry on.

But she was ok now, everything was ok. The way she looked at him made his heart completely melt, and all of his doubts instantly vanished.

He knew he was doing the right thing. He did deserve her, she did love him, and he found he was never happier than when she was near him, safely nestled in his arms. He wouldn't screw her up. Maybe he wasn't so messed up, he realized. Maybe she could make him better.

Maybe things were starting to look up.

On that positive thought he yawned, lowering himself into a lying position slowly so as not to wake the little girl on his chest up. He ran his fingers through her soft hair, more a comfort for him than her at this point, and fell asleep with his other hand resting on her back, almost completely covering it, feeling the rise and fall of her gentle, even breaths.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This takes place about a month after the events of chapter 4
> 
> By this point Ralph is almost officially Van's foster parent, there's just one thing left
> 
> Thanks for reading!

Ralph couldn't believe it. He was about to _officially_ become Vanellope's foster parent.

He couldn't believe he'd only met her a month ago. His life had completely changed almost overnight.

And it was about to change even more.

* * *

Before he could become a foster parent for real, Ralph's apartment had to be inspected to make sure it would be fit for Vanellope to live in.

Ralph knew he really didn't have anything to worry about, but the word _inspection _made both of them inexplicably nervous.

Ralph and Vanellope spent the whole day cleaning for the _inspection_, and were sprawled out on the couch in exhaustion when a knock on the door took them out of their stupor.

They shared a look. This was it.

Ralph opened the door to see a smiling, well-dressed woman.

She looked nothing like the image in his head of a severe older woman wearing dark colors and harshly scrutinizing his home for any speck of dirt. Rather, she was very nice and kind as she surveyed the apartment, and even commended how well-kept it was.

It went by fairly quickly and the two looked at each other, relieved.

Before the woman's expression became serious.

Ralph gulped, and he and the little girl shared a look.

"I'm sorry. Your home is lovely, but it's just not big enough," she said regretfully.

She explained that Vanellope would need her own bedroom, her own space. Where was she even sleeping now?

The two shared another nervous glance.

Ever since that first night, the poor kid hadn't been able to sleep on her own. She'd _tried_, several times in fact, but every time she's toss and turn or lie awake until she gave in and crawled into Ralph's bed, where she'd fall asleep instantly.

But they couldn't very well tell her that, could they?

"She's sleeping on the couch," Ralph lied, "Not ideal I know, but I _have_ been looking at larger homes."

This was news to Vanellope. She looked at him quizzically.

"That's good," the woman smiled, "because I'm afraid you'll need at least a two-bedroom house to accommodate Vanellope if you're going to be fostering her."

She offered to help Ralph with the process, to which he'd gladly agreed.

Pleased, the woman took her leave, bidding the two goodbye.

The woman sighed once she left. When she'd heard poor Vanellope's story from Matt, she wanted to make absolute sure the little girl would be in the best care possible. And it looked like she was. Anyone could clearly tell that Ralph cared deeply for her, like she was his own child.

She'd make sure this story had a happy ending.

* * *

As soon as the woman was gone, Vanellope spoke up.

"Since when have you been looking for a new place?"

Ralph hadn't realized that she'd barely said anything through that whole conversation. That was probably the longest time she'd _ever_ stayed quiet. He almost chuckled before thinking better of it, noticing the child's tone. He couldn't tell whether she was upset or angry, but he couldn't understand why she'd be either. Shouldn't she be happy?

"Since I moved in, kid."

"Oh," her harsh tone softened the slightest bit.

It was no secret that Ralph lived on the shady side of town. He had been in this apartment ever since he was a teenager. But even after all that time he found he'd never gotten used to the area, and the sounds he heard and sights he saw still freaked him out just as much as when he was a kid. He'd been saving up his money from the beginning in the hopes that one day he'd be able to move out, but just never found a place and gave up. But boy was he glad he'd saved up now.

Ralph resumed his search for houses in _nicer_ neighborhoods with a new determination right after he decided he wanted to foster Vanellope. This was no place for a kid, and if it scared him it probably frightened her too, though the proud little girl would never admit it. Vanny deserved a _home_, where she wouldn't get woken up at night by strange noises, and where she'd be able to go outside and play. And it wasn't like he expected her to use the extra bedroom to _sleep_ in of course, but she deserved to have her own space too.

"S-so you're not doing it because of me?"

What kind of question was that?

"What? _Of course_ I'm doing it because of you- I gave up last time, but now I'm doing it for _us_. This is no place to grow up, kid," he sighed, "You deserve better, _we_ deserve better."

She shook her head.

"But that costs _money_! And a lot of it! Don't spend it on me! I'm not-" she stopped suddenly, snapping her attention to the floor, which she could practically see her reflection in after all the cleaning they'd done. She didn't like seeing the weakness on her face.

He knew what she was going to say.

"You're not what? _Worth it_? Is that what you were going to say?"

Now he was mad.

He took a step closer and knelt down to her level, his tone softening.

"Hey kid, look at me," he said, gently tipping her chin up with a large finger. She reluctantly did so, worried hazel eyes meeting russet brown.

"I don't ever wanna hear you talk about yourself like that. You deserve to be happy and safe and not afraid to be in your own home. You deserve a _home_. You are worth more than all the money in the world."

Jeez, when did he get so sappy?

Vanellope just looked at him for a minute, before giving him a slightly wavering smile (when did _she_ get so sappy?) and he scooped her up in his arms.

"We are such diaper babies," she remarked and they laughed.

* * *

After that things started happening fast. Each day the woman, Ms. Sterling, they'd learned her name was, checked up on them to help and Ralph spent just about every waking moment looking and doing research. Vanny wanted to help too, so he gave her little tasks as well.

One day Ralph was looking through some listings absently, when one in particular caught his eye. It was a cute clean little brick house with two bedrooms and a big backyard. It was perfectly in his price range, and was in a super nice looking neighborhood called Niceland.

_He'd found it!_

"Kid? Van where are you?" he called.

"Huh? Ralph, what're you-"

"I found it!" he shouted excitedly, sweeping the little girl up and tossing her in the air, earning a surprised yelp followed by her infectious laughter.

They decided to celebrate by going out to dinner.

"Well hey there Ralph," the owner, Tapper, greeted, "Long time no see."

"And who's this?"

"This," Ralph said with a flourish, "is my _foster daughter."_

"Wow, congratulations Ralph. I'm happy for you. And?"

"Vanellope."

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Vanellope. Y'know what? Your meals are on the house!"

"Tapper, you don't have to-"

"Of course I do! You've always been a loyal customer, and this is a special occasion."

Ralph tried to argue, but Tapper seated them and left before he could.

He sighed, before hearing a voice on the other side of the booth. A _very_ familiar voice, one he hadn't heard in a long time and couldn't quite place.

He tentatively turned around.

It was _Felix_!

"Felix?!" he couldn't help but call out, startling the smaller man. Vanellope looked at him curiously.

Recognition lit up Felix's face instantly, that familiar beaming smile replacing his slightly confused frown.

"Ralph?! I haven't seen you in _forever_, brother! How've you been?"

"I've been awesome, in fact we're out to celebrate tonight."

"Oh that's _amazing_ Ralph wha- wait, we?" Felix asked.

"Oh yeah, I uh have a kid-a _foster_ kid," he added when he saw the shocked look on his old friend's face, "c'mere Van."

She popped up over the top of the booth, looking curiously at the stranger.

"Oh gosh, congratulations Ralph! Wow! And...Van?"

"_Vanellope_," she smirked.

"Vanellope," he corrected himself, smiling at her. "I'm Felix!" he chirped, shaking her hand.

She tilted her head at the odd man, looking at him incredulously before looking up at Ralph.

"Who's _your_ friend?" Ralph asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh, this is Tamora, she's my wife, actually." he said, blushing and extending his hand across the table to hold hers.

Ralph spluttered. "Your _wife_?! Felix- that's-that's amazing, congratulations!"

"Aw, thank ya brother." His blush deepened and Van laughed.

"So where're you movin' to?" Tamora finally spoke up to change the subject, a light blush on her cheeks.

"Oh, it's a neighborhood not too far from here. It's called Niceland," he answered proudly.

Felix gasped and the other three stared at him. He looked at his wife.

"That's where we live!" he exclaimed so loudly that people at other tables turned to look at him.

He smiled sheepishly.

"Wow, really?" he turned to the kid, "if Felix lives there you know it's nice, he's not hardcore enough to live where we do." Vanellope laughed. They weren't hardcore at all, they both cowered like babies when they heard a noise at night.

Tamora laughed too, she came from a pretty hardcore neighborhood too.

Felix tried to glare at them but found he couldn't keep the smile off his face for long. He was just too excited.

"Oooh gosh, you guys'll just _love_ it there! Everyone's so nice and it's so clean and there's lots of kids for Vanellope to play with, and- oh I'm just so _happy_ for you!"

Vanny rolled her eyes, but found herself actually liking this guy, he was funny. Plus, if he was a friend of Ralph's, she figured he must be ok.

Their food arrived a few minutes later and Van disappeared behind the booth again, devouring her dinner as if she'd never eat again. Ralph chuckled at her as he caught up with his old friend. He didn't realize how long it'd been since he'd last talked to Felix. They used to be best friends.

Eventually Felix brought up a point Ralph honestly hadn't though of yet.

"Isn't your job a bit far away though?"

Yeah. It was. He deflated.

It was a long way to go from the apartment they lived in now. The new house would be even further away.

He tried to keep the disappointment from seeping into his voice when he said, "You're right, I hadn't even thought of that," he sighed.

Of course it was all too good to be true! What were they gonna do now?

Though he was trying to keep it from being noticeable to Vanellope, the kid was very intuitive. She peered up at him, concerned.

Felix looked at both of them, seeing realization dawn on the child's face.

"B-but you heard the lady! I-if we don't get a bigger house, I can't s-stay with you!" she sounded distraught.

"Hey kid, calm down, we'll figure this out," Ralph said soothingly, "I- well I won't lie, I don't really know what to do right now, but we'll figure something out, ok?"

She slowly nodded back, placated.

Felix managed a small smile. Ralph clearly cared about this kid, he'd never seen his friend be so gentle before.

Then he got an idea.

"Hey, what if you came to work with me at the office? A position just opened up! I could put in a good word for you!" Felix exclaimed.

"Wait, really? That would be amazing! Thank you so much!" Ralph was ecstatic.

"Of course brother! Oooh I can't wait!"

Ralph laughed at his ever-optimistic friend's enthusiasm. Some things never change.

The mood almost instantly lifted, the two turned around to concentrate on their own dinners, and when they parted there was a chorus of see you soon's and thank you's and congratulations.

All in all, it'd been a pretty good day.

Ralph couldn't remember the last time he'd had so many good days in a row.

* * *

When they got home he called the social worker and told her all about the house and she congratulated him. He inquired on the house and got all the details. He couldn't believe he was buying a _home_. And he finally had someone to share it with.

* * *

Soon enough, moving day arrived.

It wasn't like they had a whole lot of stuff to pack though, so moving the little they did have was actually pretty easy. Ralph had bought some furniture for Van's room that was already in the house, so all that was left now was the unpacking.

He found an opportunity to leave while Vanellope was distracted so she wouldn't get skeptical.

He asked Felix to watch the little girl for a bit, and told her he had forgotten something at the apartment and was going back. She didn't think anything of it, barely looking up from what she was doing to say bye.

He took his leave, smiling. That was easier than expected. She must've been really distracted to not remember how they had double- and triple checked every room to make sure they hadn't left anything. But he wasn't a very good liar, so he wasn't complaining.

* * *

He walked into the court house, taking a deep breath.

Walking up to the receptionist's desk, he gave a name. A woman briskly led him down a hallway to an old wooden door.

He knocked gently, before receiving a muffled "come in" from the other side.

Ralph took another deep breath before entering.

A man in a suit shook his hand before sitting at an old mahogany desk and inviting Ralph to take a seat.

He smiled.

Ralph nervously tried to smile back.

"So I understand that you're interested in starting the adoption process."

* * *

**Oooooooh, cliffhanger!**

**Hope you enjoyed, and please leave a review if you can, it'd mean a lot to me, I love receiving feedback!**


	7. The First Day of School

Ralph loved his foster daughter Vanellope to death.

But _Mod _could she be a pain sometimes.

From being woken up in the middle of the night by her munching on midnight snacks, to her cluttered room and absolute refusal to go to bed at a reasonable time, she, like all kids, had mastered the skill of being annoying from a young age.

_That _he somewhat understood though.

There were lots of things about his kid that he didn't understand yet, and that frustrated him.

Don't get him wrong, Vanellope was a great kid. She was sweet and clever and fun to be around.

But she was more...complicated than she seemed.

Ralph, for lack of a better term, called it "emotional constipation."

While other children might talk their problems and feelings out, or just have the occasional good cry, Vanellope did neither, preferring to keep her feelings and "weaknesses" to herself. And she was perfectly happy to handle things that way.

Until she wasn't. Eventually the proverbial straw would break the camel's back, the tiniest thing snapping something in her, and all of her bottled up emotions would suddenly come out all at once, often at the worst possible time.

But she _was_ happy, for real this time. Right? She didn't have any negative emotions to bottle up anymore. King wasn't around, she was safe, she had a happy warm home with toys and games and a Ralph who loved her.

Those horrible meltdowns would never happen again!

Right?

* * *

"Whatcha doin'?" Vanellope hopped up onto Ralph's shoulder to see the computer.

"Boring grown-up stuff."

"What kinda boring grown-up stuff?"

"Oh just signing my bratty kid up for school, nothing you'd care about," Ralph rolled his eyes, turning his attention back to the form he was filling out, "Name? Baroness Boogerface," he mockingly typed.

"Hey!"

He laughed, ruffling the kid's hair, "Calm down kid, I'm not gonna put that. I'll put your real name," he started to type, Vanellope looking skeptically at the screen.

"President Fartfeathers. Very funny Ralph," she rolled her eyes.

"I thought so too."

She lay her head on Ralph's shoulder.

"Do I _have_ to go to school?" she asked forlornly.

"Yeah kid, you kinda do."

She sighed.

"Aw c'mon don't be that way. You wouldn't like hanging out here all day, you'd get bored. Especially when I'm at work and there's no one to bother," he tried to cheer up the poor kid's suddenly somber mood.

"It's not that."

"What is it then kid? Were people...mean to you?"

"I don't wanna talk about it," she mumbled.

Ralph sighed, trying to keep his frustration to himself. She _never_ wanted to talk about it.

He knew it was difficult for her to think about, but he just felt like she didn't trust him enough to tell him. He just wanted to help.

"Ok kid, I won't pry," he sighed again, "But if it makes you feel any better, this is a new school. It'll be a new start, a clean slate."

It did seem to make her feel a little better, as she gave him a tiny smile.

"Thanks Ralph."

"No problem kid."

* * *

Soon enough though, the big day arrived.

Vanellope's first day of school.

She looked up at the towering main building with wide eyes. This school was _way _nicer than her old one. And way bigger too.

Despite her excitement, she could feel a slight twinge in the pit of her stomach.

_Butterflies_, she told herself, _You just have butterflies, that's all._

She took a deep breath before looking up at Ralph, who definitely had _more_ than butterflies. He looked like he had a whole zoo in his stomach.

With a sweet smile, she took his large hand in her own and, in a weird role reversal, reassured her guardian. He smiled sheepishly.

"Aw Ralphie don't be scared! I'll be back before ya know it!"

"Hey, that's my line," he chuckled, his hand on the back of his neck.

But just then a bell rang, making both look back up at the looming brick structure.

"Ok kid do you have lunch money?"

"Yes Ralph."

"Pencils?"

"Yes Ralph."

"Your water bottle, folders, a first aid kit?" he fretted.

_"Yes Ralph!"_

_First aid kit, _she scoffed to herself, rolling her eyes, _Ralph is such a worrywart._

"Jeez!" she laughed, waving with both hands as she walked backwards towards the doors, "Bye Ralph! Don't miss me too much!"

"Aw, how could I not miss the sweet smell of smoke in the morning?" he asked, pretending (or was he?) to wipe a tear from his eye.

Vanellope laughed again, then she was gone.

Ralph sighed.

Thankfully she seemed happy. He hoped it'd last.

But as he returned to his empty house, he felt odd.

What was he supposed to do now?

* * *

Turning around once the door closed, Vanellope's smile vanished.

What was she supposed to do now?

There were people _everywhere, _and something bigger than butterflies started to swarm in her stomach.

They all knew where they were going, what they were doing. But she was new.

She was _lost._

She was gonna vurp.

* * *

A few minutes later another bell rang, and the huge crowd of people vanished almost instantly after, leaving the little girl alone in the empty hallway.

Vanellope looked at the map Ralph had given her, which she was holding upside down, trying to make sense of where she was. But she was growing frustrated, scowling at it as if it'd give her all the answers if she glared at it hard enough.

_This stupid place is so big they need a map to get around!_ she thought incredulously.

She was looking too intently at the paper in her hands to notice someone approach, and she startled as the map was taken away from her and flipped before being given back.

"Are you lost?" someone asked.

"N-no! I just-" she glared defensively before looking up, seeing recognition in the stranger's eyes.

The boy's face lit up with a smile, "Hey, I've seen you before! You're the girl that moved in across the street! Felix's friend, right?"

She looked at him a bit skeptically, raising an eyebrow. "Yes? How'd you know that?"

"Felix knows everyone," he shrugged, "Plus, I live right across from your house."

He held his hand out, "Sorry I haven't introduced myself yet. I'm Rancis."

"Vanellope," she smirked, taking his hand and shaking it.

"Hey, you wouldn't happen to know where this room is, would ya?" she pointed to the square on the map Ralph had highlighted.

"Yeah! That's _my_ class! Follow me!"

"Oh, ok. That was easy."

* * *

The two made casual banter as they made their way across the school, catching the side-eyed glares of a few teachers when their laughter became too loud.

Eventually they reached the classroom, and Vanellope found that the butterflies that had just started to fade had returned with a vengeance.

Twenty pairs of eyes focused right on her as Rancis opened the door.

_Oh jeez._

The teacher gasped when she looked up, bringing a hand to her mouth, "Goodness, I forgot!"

"Class, we have a new student!" she recovered her perky demeanor almost instantly, "This is Vanellope!"

Said new student waved sheepishly, "Uh, hi."

She was met by a chorus of hellos from the rowdy crowd of children.

"I'm so sorry dear, I hope you found your way alright!"

"Yeah, I did," she said, looking at Rancis and being met with a knowing smirk.

"There's an empty seat at Taffyta's table if you'd like to sit there," the teacher said as if the new student would know where that was.

"Um, who's-" Vanellope started before Rancis interrupted.

"That's my table, just follow me," he said.

Sitting down, he introduced the others.

"This is Candle," he gestured to the girl next to him, who had pigtails with streaks of green at the ends.

"Hi!" she smiled widely.

"Wow, I like your hair!" Vanellope said.

Candle looked at the other girl quizzically for a moment before examining her hair, noticing the green.

"Oh, this? This was a food coloring accident!"

Vanellope didn't quite know what that meant, but nodded anyway.

Rancis took this as his cue to continue, "And this is Taffyta."

"I'm busy," she said, barely sparing the new girl a glance.

Vanellope rolled her eyes and Rancis laughed.

* * *

The class went by relatively uneventfully.

Until the teacher called on Vanellope (in a bit of a jerk move for a kid's first day in all honestly).

Flustered by everyone's eyes on her, the little girl stuttered her way through her answer, and they moved on.

Vanellope felt a blush start to heat up her face when she heard Taffyta laugh.

Ordinarily, something this little wouldn't bother the girl. But for some reason today it _did _bother her. _A lot_.

Rancis and Candle, noticing their new classmate's discomfort, looked at her apologetically, but she didn't notice.

A bit later, while Vanellope fished in her backpack for something, a little patch of flannel became visible.

"What's that?" Taffyta asked smugly, leaning over.

"N-nothing!" Vanellope yelped, quickly zipping the bag shut again.

* * *

"And this is your desk! Right next to mine!" Felix chirped excitedly.

Ralph rolled his eyes playfully at his old friend. He really hadn't changed, he was still so enthusiastic about the most mundane things.

Kinda like someone else he knew. Ralph rested his chin in his large hand as he sat down at his new desk.

He wondered how Vanellope was doing.

* * *

A while later another bell rang, signaling that recess had finally arrived.

Vanellope sighed, thankful to escape the tension that'd become palpable in the air since Taffyta had caught sight of...her little secret.

"Lemme show you the playground!" Rancis said, grabbing her hand excitedly before being stopped by Taffyta.

"Are you sure about that Rancis? We might catch her st-st-stutter!" she cackled.

The smaller girl only glared.

"C'mon Taff, stop it," Rancis chastised, again looking at Vanellope apologetically.

She ignored him.

"You're like a little _gl-gl-glitch! _There's a nickname for ya! _Glitch!_" she sneered before walking away, the other two tentatively following.

Again, under normal circumstances Vanellope could shake this off. Taffyta was just your average schoolyard bully, it wasn't like she hadn't dealt with her type before.

But did she have to use _that_ word?

Evidently, her mind decided that _this_ would be the straw that broke the camel's back.

This simple statement triggered something that left the little girl's thoughts spiraling out of control almost instantly.

For the first time in a whole month, Vanellope heard King's voice, and the voices of her old classmates, viciously insulting and berating her.

_Stupid, stupid little_ _glitch!_

_You're a mistake and that's all you'll ever be!_

_Waste of space!_

_You're more trouble than you're worth._

_Worthless glitch!_

The physical wounds inflicted on her had long since healed, but somehow now they felt fresh again.

But that was nothing compared to the new gash in her heart.

Those hateful words echoed through her mind in a loop, interspersed with terrible things she imagined Ralph saying.

_I wish I'd never found you._

_I should've left you in the cold._

_I should've returned you to King._

_I should've gotten rid of you when I had the chance!_

_I can't believe I ever felt sorry for you._

Of course Ralph hadn't said any of these things, and she knew he _never _would, but her imagination had turned against her.

Vanellope hadn't noticed when she'd fallen onto her hands and knees, or when the other kids started to crowd around her. She only came out of her thoughts when she found she couldn't _breathe_.

She became frantic, trying in vain to force air into her lungs, but she felt like she was drowning. She gasped like a fish out of water and through her blurry watery vision she could see the other kids looking down at her. She couldn't make out their expressions or hear what they were saying through the deafening sound of her own thoughts but she figured they were laughing. Why wouldn't they be laughing at the stupid new girl who couldn't do anything right, not even _breathe_.

In reality though they weren't laughing at all, they were actually incredibly concerned and frightened. Several had left to tell an adult, but none of the children themselves knew what to do, or even what was wrong with their new classmate.

Now she was shaking as if she were cold, though she felt like she was burning up on the inside. She started to pull at her hair, _hard, _a desperate attempt to distract herself with a different type of pain. She had pulled it out of her ponytail, but found she couldn't feel it, so she pulled harder. She started pulling so hard that the other children became scared she'd hurt herself. One of them reached out and touched her arm in an attempt to get her to stop, which only made it worse. The little girl yelped, recoiling against the touch, and the startled student backed away quickly.

Suddenly, someone broke through the crowd of kids, followed by two others. She appeared as a blur of greens, browns, and pinks to Vanellope, but everyone else recognized her as none other than Candle. And she was followed by a pink and brown blur, who were identified as Taffyta and Rancis.

After dispersing the crowd of kids, Candle turned her attention to the smaller girl, immediately able to tell what was wrong.

She immediately brought herself down to the other's level, staying a small distance away.

"Can I touch you?" Candle asked in a calm, quiet voice. The others shared an incredulous look.

Vanellope shook her head vigorously.

"Ok, that's ok. I know this is upsetting and it hurts, but this _will_ go away Vanny, I promise," she cooed, "Do you want to talk about it?"

Another shake. _No._

"_Can_ you talk?"

Yet another shake of the head.

"Ok, do you want to go inside?"

The smaller girl nodded.

"Alright, let's go. Can you walk?"

Vanellope hesitated for a beat, but nodded again a moment later.

After getting into a standing position, the simple act of walking seemed very daunting, and it was obvious she needed support.

"Ok." Candle took her hand, which was much smaller than her own despite them only being a few months apart in age, and slowly and carefully led Vanellope back inside, encouraging her all the way.

Rancis and Taffyta, as well as the crowd of other kids who'd hung back, watched the two go, dumbfounded. Candle, who was known as the class dunce, was the only person who knew what to do while everyone else stood around uselessly.

Maybe there was more to her than they'd given her credit for.

Once back in the room, they sat on the soft rug in the corner, offering a little privacy with the bookshelves bordering it. The little girl had calmed substantially, but she was still clearly upset.

Candle tried something new.

"Alright, I know you don't want me to touch you, but do you think you could touch me and copy my breathing?" she asked.

Vanellope gave the other a confused look before Candle offered to show her. Gently taking Vanny's much smaller wrist into her hand, Candle rested it on her chest, so she could feel her deep breaths.

Now getting it, Van gave a small nod and started to mimic her.

Candle would've sighed if she wasn't trying to keep her breaths steady.

Soon, Vanellope started becoming coherent again, and Candle knew the worst was over. She continued talking to her in a gentle voice, letting her know that she was ok, everything was ok, and that it was passing. She started to wipe her tears, and the silent sobs that had shaken her tiny frame before were replaced by tiny hiccups.

Candle got an idea.

"Can I leave you alone for just a second?" she asked. "I'm gonna go get you something."

The younger girl hesitated for a split second before giving a little nod.

The older girl rifled through Van's backpack. Ordinarily she'd never breach someone's privacy like this, but these weren't ordinary circumstances. She remembered seeing it earlier, and it wasn't hard to tell from the poor new kid's reaction what it was. A moment later she found it and skipped back to their little spot, holding the item behind her back.

Vanellope looked at her quizzically for a moment, tilting her head, before Candle presented it to her. _Ralph's shirt?!_ _How did she know about that?!_ Despite herself though, she gave a grateful smile as she took the shirt from the older girl, nuzzling her face into it.

Candle smiled, "Do you want me to stay with you?"

Suddenly becoming very self-conscious, the little girl could feel the blush rising to her face again. She realized she'd had an episode in front of _everyone_, and here she was snuggling a shirt like a baby. _All on the very first day of school. _Vanellope found she couldn't make eye contact with the other girl. She was never going to be able to live this down. So much for a new start.

Knowing exactly what she was thinking, the Candle assured her. "It's ok Vanny, everyone has bad days. Today must've been really hard for you, and that's ok. I'm glad you feel better now. I got upset on my first day here too, but nobody knew what to do so I had to get through it alone, and it was hard. I don't want you to have to do that," she took her hand.

No one had ever spoken to Vanellope like that before. She looked up at the other girl. She wanted to thank her, to say _something_, but found that when she tried to speak, her throat felt like it was constricting. She _couldn't_ speak and she whined anxiously, reaching for her hair again.

But a gentle grip stopped her hands.

"It's ok, you don't have to talk. But don't hurt yourself. Please," Candle cooed, letting go of her hands and moving behind the tiny girl, putting her ponytail back in place. The feeling of someone playing with her hair had exactly the intended purpose, and Vanellope calmed down, subconsciously rubbing the soft material of the shirt between her fingers.

"There, good as new!" Candle admired her work. She wasn't usually too good with hair, to Taffyta's annoyance, but a ponytail she could do.

"That better?" She wasn't expecting a response other than a nod, but she was surprised.

Vanny tried again. She fought the tightening feeling in her throat and eventually stuttered out an answer.

"Y-yeah. T-th-thanks," she gave a small smile.

"Can-can I touch you now?" Candle asked tentatively.

"Yeah."

Immediately Candle embraced the smaller girl as tightly as she could, telling her how brave she was. Vanellope smiled. Despite not usually being very touchy-feely, she hugged back just as tightly. Maybe she'd finally made a friend after all.

Soon the other students started filing in, distracting the two girls. Vanellope sheepishly hid Ralph's shirt behind her back, and noticing her discomfort, Candle took it and placed it back in her bag before anyone saw. With a grateful smile, the younger stood up, making her way back to the table they shared.

Rancis looked concerned as he sat down. He asked his new classmate if she was ok, and apologized for not knowing what to do. Of course she forgave him, despite not really knowing why he was apologizing, it wasn't his fault.

Taffyta was deathly silent as she took her seat, though it was easy to see the guilt on her face. She could barely make eye contact when she apologized.

"Hey, I-I'm really sorry. I was a jerk, and I didn't mean to make you so upset."

Vanellope assured her that it was alright, giving her a winning smile, and things went smoothly the rest of the day.

At the end of the day she bid goodbye to her _three_ new friends as she stepped onto the bus.

* * *

Ralph waited anxiously at the bus stop.

He looked at his watch. _What if they got lost? What if she got on the wrong bus? Where was she?!_

He sighed in relief as a yellow bus approached.

But frowned as it drove past.

He examined his nails. Tapped his foot. Hummed an incoherent melody. Found he wasn't good at distracting himself.

Luckily he didn't need to for long, because this time the right bus arrived, and a blur of teal and black bounded out the doors as soon as they opened.

"Ralph!" Vanellope leapt into his arms, almost knocking the breath out of him.

"Kid!" he swung her around.

"Did ya miss me?" she laughed.

"Wha-Nah. Who are you again?"

She playfully punched him.

"Did _you_ miss me?" he teased, expecting a similar answer.

"Yes," she deadpanned, her demeanor changing instantly.

"O-oh," Ralph paused, "well, I missed you _more_ kid."

She laughed, softer this time.

He put her down, and she surprised him, taking his hand.

"Ralph?" Vanellope asked after a minute of walking.

"Yeah?"

"I love you."

"I love you too, kid."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for reading^^


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